Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-09

caucus, and for this they are wholly re-
sponsible. But did this necessarily defeat
the election of Senator? Did the thirty
eight in the face Of this fact so act as to re-
lieve themselves from responsibility!
They knew that they could
not elect a Senator without
obtaining votes from either the twelve or
the Republicans. Was it right, expedlent
or in accordance with the usages OF the
party for them under such circumstances
to make a nomination? We think not
The usage in this State, and generally
elsewhere, is for the party, which has the
majority of the whole Legislature, ana
therefore the power to elect the Senator,
to decline to make . nomination, or even
attempt to do so, until a sufficient number
consent to participate in the caucus tocon-
troll the election. This isnOt only custom
ary. but it is a necessity and the only sale
rule. If this be not so, then IN q BODY
of fifty Democrats an asplrant Win
only Ii votes may obtain a NOMINATION.
Thus IA is a majority of 26 and 70 Is a ma
iority of 80. Therefore in q caucus oil 70
the control of II votes may nominate, al
though some other aspirant may have mao
"a votes of the 80. 1t may be said that
this is an extreme case:'bu IT must be adj
mitted that it is, nevertheless, 4 possible
case, and therefore proves the impolicy oil
the general rule. Let us take, however, a
more probable case. Suppose an asplIant
has "a of the 90 votes pledged to him n
he is satisfied he can get no more; then II
his friends assemble q caucus composed OF
those "a and 2 or 3 of the others,
he will have q majority Of this eau
u and thus obtain q nomination. inns
would of course be u fraud, but how could
it be proven to be such. Other cases Will
readily suggest themselves more or less
illustrative of the danger and unsoundness
of such a rule.
Moreover, such a rule is not only against
precedent and safety, but it is plainly IN
violation Of fair dealing and political ex-
pedjency. When less than n majority OF
the election body make nomination, they
must know they cannot elect their n0mlnee
unless they can obtain the votes of some
who have had no voice in the nomination.
They must expect to get these votes
either from the nOn-caucus mem
bers of their own party or from the oPpo-
site party. IL Is hardly probable they
would expect these votes from the oppO-
site party. But, ii so, the fact that they
have made their candidate the nominee OF
their party would be the very thing to
defeat n such expectations; because 1t
is a fixed rule for the opposite party to use
every effort To defeat such nominee. Nor
could they with any reason expect to get
votes from the nOn-caucuS members oi
their own party. The mere fact that these
have refused tn 20 into caucus is a decla-
ration that they will not support any
nominee made in such caucus, OF ut
le-st that they refuse Ia be bound
to do so. Referring to the legislative
caucus now in question, 1t was aNowed ana
distinctly understood that the twelve re-
calcitmnts refused To go into caucus on the
sole ground that they believed hr. Cam
den would he the nominee, and that they
ronld not support him. The thirty-eight
nominated Mr.. Camden in the face of this
aVowal aud with q knowledge of all these
facts. Ought they not to have known, and
did they not know, that by nominating
Mr.. Camden, under such circumstances,
they were not only destroying the chances
Of his election but greatly increas-
Ing the difficulties of making
any election possible? BY
this act they bound themselves to a candl-
date they had not the power To elect, and
at the same time cut off all reasonable
hope, OF ut least greatly lesSened the
chances, of getting other votes to secure
his election. This act was certainly destl-
titute of political SagaCity. 1t was mex
pedient and impOlitic. 1t was plainly not
for the advantages of Mr.. Camden nor for
the good of the Democratic party. For
this purbIind injudiciOus and disastrous
act "a il I proved, To be and rs it should
have been fOreSeen TO he, the thirty
eight are responsible. And this
it IS very probable, had rs
much influence IN defeating an election OF
q Senator, as had the refuSual Of the twelve
''kickers" to 90 into caucus. II the OppO-
sltion TO Mr.. Camden had not been con
centrated and forced into open hostility
and activity by this unwise and, pOlitI-
cally speaking, criminal, act OF the thirty
eight, It is impossible to believe that before
the close of tine session either Mr.. Camden
or some other Democrat would have been
duly elected Senator. with the p%rObablli-
ties greatly in favor of Mr.. Camden.
II must not be assumed that we are
seeking to COndone OF palliate the act ol
the II in refusing to 90 into a caucus. by
this act they made the holding OF any
legitimate caucus imp~OSSible-they viola
ted the time-hOnOred usages and custom of
the party-and became diSOrganizerS AMI
rebels. This is the extent Of their reSpon-
sibility, and for this they are bound to
answer To their constituents and the Demo
cratic party. This is surely no light bur
den. II is one which no reliable Demo-
crat can sustain without the most
roient reasons and conclusive evidence
To support them. IL will not he
denied, however, that resistance to party
usage, like revolution, is sometimes "A nee
eSsary evil. But primd tdcie the II kick
ers'' are guilty Of Il grave oifcnse.
While ON the other hand, rs we honestly
believe and have attempted to show, the
- caucus Democrats have committed au
Offense but little less effective for evil.
The one has bOlted the uSages of the party
and defeated the legitimate caucus nom
nation, and the other has forced an lille
ultimate caucus nomination against the
plain dictates OF political eXpedlency;
and the two combined have 50
far entirely defeated the election Of q
Senator and done very little credittO them
selves, their party or their constituents.
Therefore, taking "A calm survey Ot the
whole situation, we think any unpreju-
diced mind will arrive at the very decided
conclusion that there is less ground for
these two factions and their friends indulg-
ing in accusations and charges against
each other than there is for each Of them
to invoke fOrbearanCe and hope for forget
fulneSs. Let us have peace"
IEnITIMA CArCTS